Is Your Liver Inflamed?

How can you determine if your liver is not working properly? Read the following article to find out!

The liver is an organ that suffers when subjected to junk food, bad habits, stress, repressed emotions, pollution, etc.  This manifests itself in the body in many ways including vision problems, crow’s feet, poor circulation, problems with digestion, and seasonal fatigue, to name a few. This can even lead to making your liver inflamed.

So, how can you identify if your liver needs your care? In this article, we’ll cover the most common signs and symptoms. Also, we’ll give you insight on how to treat and prevent it to avoid illness and improve your quality of life.

Vision Problems: A sign that your liver might be inflamed

Traditional Chinese medicine tells us that the liver is directly related to vision problems. This is true as they are located along the same meridian in the body.  Obviously, there are other factors, like genetics, that can influence the health of our eyes. But, if you’re suffering from a visual impairment (like myopia, astigmatism, or presbyopia, for example) you should check yourself for some of the signs and symptoms discussed below.

Insomnia from 1-3 AM

Every organ has a time of day at which it’s most active, during which it regenerates as part of the body’s natural defenses.  The liver, for instance, is most active from 1 to 3 AM.  

So, if you find yourself suddenly waking up between these hours, it could be an indication that your liver isn’t functioning properly. Keep in mind, however, that eating too large a meal or too late in the evening may also affect the quality of your sleep at night.

Crow’s Feet

Wrinkles that appear underneath and around the eyes can also be a sign of poor liver function. This is especially true if they appear alongside vision problems.  Crow’s feet can sure sign to pay closer attention to your liver.  To treat these annoying lines, we need to start from the inside out by caring for our internal organs.

Poor Circulation

Are you surprised to learn that circulation and the liver are intimately connected?  The liver is responsible for purifying the blood; therefore, its proper functioning is vital to good circulation.

So if you’re suffering from varicose veins or hemorrhoids at a young age, not only will you need to treat them locally, you’ll also need to regulate liver function.

Poor Digestion

The liver is part of the digestive system. As such, it is especially important for the digestion of fats, thanks to the bile it produces and stores in the gallbladder. If you find it hard to digest fatty foods, you can help your liver and keep it from getting overworked.

It’s much better to eat smaller meals more often; this keeps the load off the liver and allows it to function more efficiently.  Adding a little lemon juice to foods will also help you better digest fats.

Also, constipation may have to do with poor liver function, among other things. If you are suffering from not going to the bathroom often enough, make sure to check your liver’s health.

Irregular Periods

As we said earlier, there is a close relationship between your liver and your blood. So, it’s not surprising that this relationship also applies to all sorts of menstrual disorders. Suffering from cramps, PMS, irregular periods, etc. can be symptoms of your inflamed liver.

Abdominal Pain

As a result of indigestion, we may experience symptoms such as pain, swelling and pressure in the abdomen. If you also suffer from a crushing pain over the ribs on the right side, it might be a sign of your liver’s inflammation.  The inflammation of the liver pushes it outwards on the surrounding areas causing the discomfort.

Migraines

Migraines can be caused by many things, but some of them, especially if recurring, are related to problems with digestion and an inflamed liver.  In this case, the migraines tend to occur with menstruation, eating or drinking too much, or with exposure to toxins (tobacco smoke, pollution, etc.).  These migraines are the result of an overworked liver trying to detoxify the body.

Seasonal Fatigue

When spring arrives, we often feel more tired than normal and it seems to take a lot more effort just to get through the day.  If this tends to occur during the changing of the seasons, you may need to fortify your liver with some natural remedies or green juices.

Images courtesy of neuroticcamel, elle_ann.